


Unintentionally intentional

by orphan_account



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Talentswap (Dangan Ronpa), Can you tell that I love phantom thief aus from my writing?, Couch Cuddles, Dice is mentioned but isn’t that important, F/F, F/M, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Internalized Homophobia, I’m Sorry kokichi, M/M, Sexuality Crisis, Sleepy Cuddles, Slow Burn, also kokichi lives with his uncle, and shuichi is the ultimate supreme leader, basically kokichi is the ultimate detective, how do you tag, i think it’s pretty clear who is who when you read it, saiouma, you probably can
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:06:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24516616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: This game had been going on for month, but the detective couldn’t figure it out with the little to no information he had. The leader’s organisation was truly a secret. Until he visited his uncles house, someone had broken in. The supreme leader wasn’t expecting their game to end so quickly.Or is that a lie?
Relationships: DICE & Saihara Shuichi, Harukawa Maki & Oma Kokichi, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Iruma Miu & Oma Kokichi, Miu Iruma/Akamatsu Kaede (background), Momota Kaito & Oma Kokichi, Oma Kokichi & DICE, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 62





	1. An intentional robbery with unintentional clues..?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fan fact: A footman is the term used for a male maid!  
> I had to look it up because Rantaro is the Ultimate Maid (Footman actually) in this au. Why? Because why no? (I didn’t know who else he should be because Tsumugi switches with K1-B0)

His nose was cold. Scratch that, his entire face was cold. Luckily his uncle’s apartment, where he was going to eat lunch, was close to Hope’s Peak otherwise it feels as if he would turn into an icicle. _I should have listened to Amami-kun._

The footman had approached him before he left to made sure that he wasn’t affected by the low temperatures while he traveled to his uncle’s home. But, almost instantly, Kokichi dismissed the worries of his classmates and assured Amami that he would be fine. However it appeared that he was right, once Ouma had stepped out of the building he was hit in the face with cold air but ,since he figured that Rantaro would most likely scold him because he didn’t listen, Kokichi decided to start the short walk to his uncle’s apartment anyway.

When he finally arrived at the lobby he smiled at the receptionist, an older woman with fair complexion which made the circles under her eyes very clear to anyone who saw her ( _they are most likely because of the amount of work he does, I’ve seen her here before at night as well, besides her desk has several coffee stains and she responded rather slowly_ ). While he walked towards the elevator he reminded himself that others people’s life were non of his business, even if “analysing” (his uncle’s words not his) them was involuntary some times he should try to stay away from the lives of other random citizens.

He heard a noice coming from the door in front of him and they opened afterwards. Kokichi stepped inside and pressed the button for the seventh floor (his uncle enjoyed the view even though he was terrified of heights, so he refused to walk towards the edge of the balcony).

The apartment was at the end of the hall, the furthest to the right of the four door that were in that floor. The carpet in the floor muffled the sound of his steps as he quickly walked towards the front entrance. He knew his uncle should be at home right now if he wasn’t still in his office instead of taking his launch break ( _Right, the family tradition of overworking_ ). 

He took his keys from his pocket and tried to open the door, but it moved as soon as Ouma touched it. Panic invade him as he stepped inside of the home. If the door was unlocked then someone must have broken in right? His uncle wasn’t careless he would never leave the door open even if he already knew that Kokichi was coming to visit.

Once inside the apartment he slowly closed the door, making sure to make as little sound as posible and locked it. His breathing was short and fast he had never been in a situation like this. As quietly as he could he moved around the house, checking each room. This didn’t take very long as the apartment was a two bedroom apartment with an open kitchen and a bathroom inside each if the bedrooms (one of which had been repurposed and turned into an office of sorts).

He let out a sigh of relief. The home was empty and it didn’t seem like whoever entered stole anything. The laptop was still on his uncle’s office, his tv as well, at first glance it didn’t look like anything from the kitchen was missing neither from the bathrooms or bookcases for that matter. But he needed to make a thorough investigation of the place before jumping to any conclusions.

Kokichi spent the next half an hour (he assumed, since he wasn’t checking his watch) inspecting the apartment looking for anything that could have been stolen. Unlike the clues he hoped to obtain he saw an open window ( _a possible escape route? They were in the seventh floor though but you could jump to the building in front of it if you were agile enough_ ) and a card next to the toaster ( _more like on top_ ), on the ground. Weirdly, the toaster was on the ground but luckily it wasn’t damaged, the person probably was in a hurry. The card was something that the detective could recognise, it was from a group named D.I.C.E, this group specialises on petty theft and destruction of property (mostly graffiti and alike).

The only logical conclusion was to believe that D.I.C.E had broken in his uncle’s apartment, but why? If this group only steals candy stores and paints walls what could they want from his uncle? It definitely wasn’t to slow down his work as all the files were still here, and they did not still valuables..

That’s when he heard the door click and his uncle stepped inside. Seiichi Ouma was a middle aged man, his hair was grey going along with his dark eyes, the coat he was wearing was worn out from the amount of years his been using it (he refuses to buy a new, says it has to many memories). He looked at his nephew and a smile appeared immediately on his face, he was, at the very least, twenty centimetres taller than Kokichi so he had to bend down to be able to hug him.

“It’s so good to see you!” His uncle pulled away from the hug, leaving his hands on the ultimate’s shoulders “I see you haven’t grown an inch” he chuckled lightly. His uncle always had a tendency to make jokes about his height since he was fairly short for his age, if it was anyone else Kokichi would have been annoyed but not with his uncle so he briefly laugh along with him. “Tell me, did something happen? You made that face that means your thinking” he raised an eyebrow at his nephew.

”I-“ he hesitated, how was his uncle going to react they didn’t steal anything so maybe he shouldn’t tell him? But it was his home, if a group like D.I.C.E could break in then he should be aware of it “I think someone broke into your house before I arrived” he looked away. His uncle’s face dropped.

”Broke in? Someone broke in?” He looked around in disbelief “Did they steal anything?” He stared at Kokichi again 

“No, no I don’t think so” I remember checking the house, everything was there at least it appeared that way. “But I did find this card” I showed it to him, it was the fool card used in various games something that D.I.C.E leaves every time they commit a crime ( _a bit of an exaggeration since they only make petty theft or vandalism_ ). “It’s from D.I.C.E, correct?”

He grabbed the card from Kokichi’s hand and looked at it “Yes, it is. Where was it?” The ultimate pointed to the toaster on the ground. He moved the card away his face and handed it to his nephew.

“On top of it, so I assumed they might have dropped it but I’m not sure..” Kokichi shrugged, this didn’t seem like anything important. But then something caught his eye, there was a piece of fabric with a checkered design. It seemed as if they tried to hide it, because it was discretely placed in between the coffee machine and the blender which made seeing the small piece of cloth extremely difficult. 

Ignoring his uncle, Kokichi grabbed it and examined the fabric with a design that was all to similar for him, he had seen it on a scarf before. Suddenly he heard Seiishi muttering something, apparently while he wasn’t looking at him his uncle had moved to his bedroom and was frantically searching but he couldn’t tell what it was he was looking for.

Upon reaching the doorway he became increasingly worried. Was it something important? Did he overlooked something? What if they stole an expensive item? If they did it was his fault for not looking close enough and telling him.   
  
His uncle looked up “Kich! Have you seen it?” What was he talking about exactly? The disappearance of what item would make him so desperate?

”Seen what exactly..?” He frowned and his eyes went from his uncle to around the room, still nothing seemed out of place.

”My book! **The** book.” Seiichi noticed his nephew’s confusion so he continued “My collection of Sherlock Holmes stories” _Really?_ He was getting this worked up over a book? He could understand to an extent, it was the book that his uncle used to read him when he was little so it hold a lot of memories, but still. It was a book, his favourite book, but a book.

”Maybe you misplaced it?” Seiichi ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. It seemed weird that he wouldn’t noticed such an iconic item of his uncle’s home disappearing, but his conclusion is entirely possible.

“No, no. I never do that, it’s always on that drawer” he pointed to his bedside table. Kokichi knew this statement was completely false, his uncle has a habit of not knowing where he puts his belongings. He remembered one time that he had asked Kokichi were his glasses were only for the boy to tell him that he was wearing them, or another time were he thought that someone had stolen his keys when in reality he forgot them in the car. His point being his uncle could have misplaced the book, besides why would a group of petty thieves steal it?

”Never is a strong word” he muttered and , looking at his uncle. “You think D.I.C.E stole it.” It was a statement not a question at this point, he knew his uncle well enough to know that he was determined to pin the blame on the organization rather than exploring the possibility that he might have forgotten it on the car because he took it in order to read it this morning.

”There is no other possibility” _False_ “Think about it, they broke into my house and stole it in a hurry. Maybe they were trying to steal the toaster but dropped it and, scared that someone might come in while they are in the middle of a robbery, took something that was closer to the exit therefore the book in my drawer” It seems like a possible explanation, if you take out the fact that they would rob a toaster because it wasn’t there MO so the young detective really doubted that.   
  


“I think there is a way for me know if it was D.I.C.E” He said thoughtfully. Kokichi had a good idea of who their leader was, (or so he thought) a high school student who also attended Hope’s peak academy. His classmate, the ultimate supreme leader himself. Shuichi Saihara. At the beginning of the year he refused to tell him about his “secret organization” it made sense, if he were to tell Kokichi then it wouldn’t be a secret anymore. So he decided that he would use his detective skills to discover which group he lead, it must be a very powerful one if he is an ultimate, and so that turned into their game. It just struck as odd that a person like Shuichi could lead this group, he had known the boy for a month and he seem like any other awkward sixteen year old, he didn’t really interact that much with others but had his own group of friends anyway (Kaede Akamatsu, Tsumugi Shirogane and Kirumi Tojo) and appeared very kind and caring. _Is he the leader of D.I.C.E? He can’t be right?_

”Kich? Kokichi?” His uncle put a hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly “You spaced out, are you alright?” He looked up at his uncle and smiled 

“Yeah just...thinking. Anyway i should ask you if your okay, you were freaking out” he laughed looking at the mess that replaced his uncle’s neat room.

”I know, I know. It’s just really important to me” he put an arm around Kokichi’s shoulders. “Come on let’s eat, then you can go back to school. Don’t want you to be late” they walked to the kitchen were the toaster remained on the floor. After picking it up and placing it in the counter again his uncle began cooking. Neither of them was much of a cook but his uncle knew how to make the basic, however when they were eating Kokichi found himself missing Rantaro’s cooking, the footman’s food was always delicious and could not compare to what his uncle could do (no offence intended) but he enjoyed it non the less.

Once they finished eating Kokichi realised it was time to go back to school grounds so he said his goodbyes with a promise to come and visit his uncle soon and left. The walk back to the academy was just as cold as before but there wasn’t much he could do about, so he could just pray to _Atua_ that he got to Hope’s peak fast.

He almost ran to the door after he when through the gates and security. The common room was warm, a nice contrast with the outside whether. Still feeling cold he walked to the kitchen with the intention of making a cup of hot coffee, the cafeteria appeared empty so maybe he wouldn’t encounter Amami on the way to making his warm drink-

”Good afternoon Ouma-kun” when he looked at the direction of the voice he saw the supreme leader himself. _Just my luck._ “I didn’t see you at lunch and couldn’t find you, I was going to call you” he offered a warm smile and I couldn’t help but smile back, _he is just one of does people who’s happiness is contagious I guess._

”I was having lunch with my uncle actually, I should have told you” Kokichi looked at the ground feeling a little guilty, Saihara was one of his closest friends after all. “I’m sorry” 

“Don’t be, family comes first” He hummed in agreement and continued his way to the kitchen. Inside he made some black coffee and returned to the cafeteria to sit with Shuichi.   
  
“Hey, Saihara-kun?” The other boy looked up from his own drink

“Yes?”

“I think I finally won the game” Ouma smiled maintaining eye contact even when he saw nervousness creeping up on the other boy’s face “Your the leader of D.I.C.E aren’t you?” He tilted his head slightly. And the look on Shuichi’s face was just what he needed to know that he was right. He had found the others secret and won the game with the unintentional clues the other left behind, right?

_Right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Constructive criticism is appreciated~  
> Have a great day/night!  
> Also if you want a second fun fact: Kanashimi means sadness in Japanese!


	2. The truth..?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confronted with the truth the ultimate leader accepted defeat and confessed to everything.
> 
> But, what is “everything”?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact of the day!: There are more than 60000 7-Eleven in the world and it’s called that way because of the amount of hours it is open.
> 
> Why did I look this up? Who knows?

“What?” Shuichi was caught if guard by the question, it looked like he didn’t expected it. He appeared tense as he set the mug quickly (and loudly) on the table. His fingers tapped its surface of the mug consistently making a soft _tap-tap-tap_ noice ( _his bad at hiding his nervousness huh?_ ) “D.I.C.E?” 

”Yes, they broke into my uncle’s apartment” he took a sip from his coffee, it was almost hot enough that it burned his tongue but not quite. “Next time please be more careful, I don’t think you want someone to know you broke into their house” The detective smiled at the reaction, even if he wasn’t confident on his abilities the expression on the supreme leader’s face was the confirmation he needed, it turned out that being able to read body language was helpful ( _thanks Lessie_ ) “Besides, you left your calling card.” 

“But I didn’t...” he trailed off still looking at his mug instead of the boy in font of him. Kokichi waited a couple of seconds before continuing just in case the supreme leader was going to add anything, but that didn’t happened so Ouma carried on.

”Well someone from your group did” he took the card from his pocket and gave it to Shuichi. “I found it on top of my uncle’s toaster” the other boy laughed at the statement and he still couldn’t stop himself from smiling. _I really like the sound of his laugh, it’s nice_. Stop kokichi, your accusing him of being the leader of a group of criminals, you can’t focus on that right now. The detective ignored the warmth on his face and carried on. “A-also, there was a piece of checkered fabric in between some kitchen equipment when I saw it I recognised instantly” he pointed at Shuichi’s scarf “It’s the same as the one you wear so I assume everyone on your time uses this pattern?”

The supreme leader nodded slowly, as if he was almost ashamed of that fact. “We thought it would be a good addition to the uniform” he took his mug towards his mouth and took a sip “it gives a nice sense of union” he had that warm smile on his face again, _his probably remembering something._ The leader of D.I.C.E met the detective’s eyes and his smile became brighter “I underestimated you, detective” then his smile turned into a smug grin “or did I overestimate you?” He tapped his fingers on his chin.

 _Huh?_ ”What do you mean ‘overestimated you’?” He was confused, didn’t he just win their game? He discovered what organization the boy lead, right?

”Well, you see” he met the detective’s eyes, he didn’t seem nervous anymore the complete opposite, he was confident? And his tone was almost mocking “how are you so sure that it was an accident? How do you know that I didn’t leave all of those clues so that you would find them?” He placed his elbow on the table and placed his head on his hand.

”Why would you do that? I thought you liked winning games, not losing them” he looked at the _stupid_ grin on the other’s face and found no trace of the warm and loving smile he saw before. _Why does he seem so assertive when he was so nervous a second ago? This makes no sense_. “What reason would you have to let me win?” It was a dumb game he knew it. He could ask one question per week (since the supreme leader did not want to give that much information about his organization) and the rest of the information he had to look for on his own, if he couldn’t guess by the end of the second month then he would make shuichi’s breakfast for two weeks (even if Kirumi made both of their breakfasts) on the other hand if he won then he got all the information about this group as he wanted, the other boy couldn’t complain.

”Do you want the fun answer or the lame answer?” The leader looked away and lightly tapped on his lip thoughtfully.

”The truth..?” He hesitated, Kokichi wasn’t sure what the boy meant by ‘lame’ or ‘fun’ answers, he should just tell him the truth right?

”Boo, your soooo boring when you want to!” He huffed “Fine then, I’ll just tell you both” he tone was childish to which Kokichi just rolled his eyes but the same question stayed on his mind. What is happening? “Okay so the first possibility is that a have hopelessly fallen in with you mister detective and in order to win you over I figured you must know the truth about my dangerous life!” he wiped away non-existent tears and placed a hand on his forehand leaning back a little. Kokichi was taken back by what the other boy had just told him, _Saihara had_ _fallen in love with him?!_ His face felt unnaturally warm. When he finished his melodramatic “performance” the supreme leader opened one eye and returned to his previous position. “But that’s a lie of course!” The detective noticed his heart slowing down. “You alright Ouma-chan? You face is kinda red~” Shuichi smirked.

Kokichi broke eye contact and stared at his coffee, he had forgotten it was there so he took a sip from it. “I-it’s nothing” he maintained his gaze on the mug. Unfortunately the coffee had lost most of its heat but he wasn’t paying much attention to that.

“Your fun so easy to tease detective!” He quickly touched the boy’s nose making his gaze shift back to Shuichi who giggled quietly. “You get embarrassed to easily!” Kokichi couldn’t tell if the supreme leader was making fun of him or enjoyed playing with his feelings but he needed to make it stop.

”So, what was the other answer?” He tilted his head slightly, trying to change the topic and the focus of other boy’s attention. It was true that he got easily embarrassed with the boy’s fake confession but it was something more than that. His started moving his foot up and down, a sign of his growing anxiousness.

”Oh, I just got bored of waiting” Shuichi was deadpan as he gave his response. “I told you it was lame” he took a sip from his mug making a loud sound which made Kokichi uncomfortable. “Basically you took to long, I mean your the ultimate detective I thought four weeks was enough!” His tone seemed annoyed but the side smile on his face beg to differ. “So, I chose to gave a nudge on the right direction” He winked, heat creeped on his face again but he tried to ignore it.

”Then you left the card on purpose?” There was clear disbelief on his voice 

“Yep” he clapped his hand together and nodded, _a little excessive but ok_.

”And the cloth?” He wiggled said piece of evidence around.

”Bingo!” He shot Kokichi with a finger gun. “Actually, that was to test your abilities, so congratulations detective, I didn’t think you would find it!” He gave him two thumbs up and a smile. “That’s also a lie tho! I already knew you could do it” The supreme leader grinned at himself. If Kokichi was to believed him (which would seem difficult since he apparently had a newly discovered habit of lying ) all of the things he found that led to D.I.C.E had been left behind _intentionally_ because he was bored? That couldn’t be true.

Shuichi pressed a finger over Kokichi’s forehead and smooth it out, the detective met his eyes. “Frowns don’t look good on you Kokichi, but neither does this hat and you still wear it” while he finished his sentence the supreme leader took the other boy’s hat and placed it on his head. “There! Now I can see your pretty face better!” He smiled and grabbed the hat examining it.

”Hey! G-give it back!” Kokichi was glad no one else was on the cafeteria, not only was he a blushing mess even if he would never admit it but he was fighting with another boy over a hat. This accessory might have seem like any other hat to another person but to the detective it was a form of comfort, it allowed him to avoid people’s gaze and he had forgotten its existence while talking to the taller boy (something that only happened with his childhood friend Miu).

Suddenly he felt something drop on his head “Geez, I didn’t noticed you liked that stupid hat so badly!” The supreme leader exclaimed clearly annoyed with the detective’s reaction. With the confort of his hat back Kokichi pulled it down so it would cover his eyes. “Oh come on, this is the reason i took it on the first place!” The boy moved the cap upwards “More! I want to see your beautiful eyes~” Kokichi felt his face burning, _did he just say my eyes are beautiful?_ It was probably because he was still wearing his contact, he thought. Kokichi had heterocromia one of his eyes was purple while the other one was yellow which meant he was forced to use a contact lense so other people wouldn’t know about his disease. He had been mocked in the past and didn’t want that to happen again.  
  
”Hello? Planet earth to Ouma- chan?” The detective snapped back to reality. “God, you keep spacing out. Something in your mind detective, maybe someone~?” He wiggled his eyebrows and the shorter boys shooked his head.

”I-I just find this weird. When we met you were really shy, what happened?” This question had been on his mind this entire time, it appeared to make no sense at all if you compared how he presented himself at the begging of the school year and how he was acting right now.

”Oh, that.” _Was he disappointed?_ “Well as you probably already noticed, I am a liar” he moved his fingers around to emphasise. “I pretended to be shy and awkward so you would get your defensas down around me, and look we’re that took us” his smile turned sinister and the detective could tell that he wouldn’t like what he was about to hear. “But now that you know who I lead I have to eliminate you” _Eliminate?!_

 _“_ Your going to kill me?!” The detective was visibly in panic, this had to be a lie right? It was impossible that he would be able to just murder him in the middle of the school cafeteria.

”Indeed~” he pointed at the detective “you’re cute and all but I can’t let you live if you know I’m the leader of D.I.C.E it puts in danger my whole organization!” The supreme leader‘s eyes said danger and Kokichi couldn’t wrap his head around what he was saying. He was going to be murdered?! Without him realising his heartbeat became faster and louder, and was he hyperventilating? “Wow, calm down detective, you need to breath you know?” Kokichi could notice the worry on the other’s face even though he was trying to hide it with a smile.

He took a deep breath like Miu taught him, inhale 1,2,3,4, exhale, 5,6,7,8, repeat. He repeated this process a couple of time’s until his breathing was normal again. “You okay?” The supreme leader really did looked concerned for his wellbeing, but he wasn’t sure if he could trust that boy anymore. The detective nodded. “Good, you were really freaking out”. When kokichi looked up he noticed how close their faces were and quickly looked away again, his face warming up once more.

”Well, now that your okay again I can finish what I was saying” The taller boy leaned back on his chair. “There is a way in which you can save your life” he had a childish smile plastered on his face. “Wanna know how?”

”Sure” The detective wasn’t completely honest with his answer, he was trying to think rationally not wanting to start panicking again. _He can’t murder me right now or everyone would noticed, besides if he killed me then he would have been the last person to see me so everything would lead to him being the culprit. Maybe someone saw him in the cafeteria beforehand? Then they could testify that Saihara-kun was the last person to be in the cafeteria before my disappearance/murder. Would he dispose of his body? Okay, this is getting real dark real fast, let’s stop._ This type of thoughts helped to calm him down, at least a little.

”Let’s play a game then Ouma-chan!” The taller boy’s eyes shined brightly and Kokichi’s heart skipped a beat, _why was he like this?_

“Didn’t we just play a game? I don’t see the point of another one” A game? That’s how he was going to stop the leader of D.I.C.E? From killing him? Did his group even murder people?

“Oh man your no fun!” The boy’s eyes became watery as if he was going to start crying “why don’t you wanna play with me Ouma-kun?” Suddenly he saw tears coming down his face, the detective couldn’t fathom why the taller boy was crying uncontrollably, but he grew worried anyway. Somehow he found himself not wanting the other boy to cry, it formed a knot on his stomach.

”H-hey calm down!” He reached out and try wiping the super leader’s tears away with his thumb, _his skin is incredibly soft_ , and the boy flinched slightly at the touch.“Fine, we can play a game just please don’t cry” and as soon as they began the tears stopped, as if his tear ducts were a faucet that he could just turn on and off. Another trait that he would have to get used to.

  
“Ha, your so gullible detective!” The supreme leader started laughing, as if he wasn’t crying a second ago. “I thought you would notice that they were fake tears!” The detective was shocked, he did not think the boy was capable of such things (well, maybe not the one he knew, the sweet and awkward boy that made him coffee in the morning and would go out of his way to make sure that Kokichi wouldn’t overwork himself with the homework or helping his uncle with his cases. The boy that had such a cute laugh that it made his heart flatter every time-) _wow, that got really gay there for a moment let’s take a step back_. He shook his head lightly. But yeah, he just couldn’t believe the old Shuichi would do that. The new Shuichi on the hand...yeah. He would.

A heavy sighed left his lips and he took his hand away from the taller boy’s face and onto his mug. He drank the last of his cold coffee, _great._ “Alright, what is this game?” The supreme leader smiled innocently and the detective knew immediately that he could not trust that smile. The taller boy turner around and grabbed a deck a cards from who knows where, when his gaze returned to Kokichi he smiled playfully.

”Ever heard of blackjack detective?” In all honesty Kokichi wasn’t a fan of card games, yes he had played with his uncle a couple of times (mostly go fishing) and settled for this type of games to satisfy their boredom on rainy days with Miu when they were younger, but he much rather play chess or a board game (not monopoly though, he was too competitive for it). So card games were definitely not his strength. Would he bet his life on them? Abso-fucking-lutely NOT. But he didn’t have any other choice did he?

”Y-yes, I’ve played a couple of times actually” he smiled to try and calm his nerves. However he started wandering if he waited too long before answering, as he focused on his thoughts about the boy in front of him rather than his question. _He probably thinks I’m weird_. Don’t think like that Kokichi! You can do this! He tried imagined Maki’s voice saying this, she was such an optimist person that the detective could never understand how they ended up being friends.

”Great! Then I don’t have to explain all of the boring rules to you. I wouldn’t have anyway” Kokichi noticed the corner of the other boy’s mouth twitch (don’t ask him why he noticed), as if he was trying to grin but didn’t quite do it. _A tic perhaps?_ The boy shuffled the cards and handed him two, taking two more for himself. The game was simple enough, you had to try and reach the closest number to twenty one as possible without going above it. He looked at his cards.

”That’s a lie isn’t it?” It had only been around half an hour since he met this side of the boy but he felt as if he could understand him, only a little bit though. The taller boy grinned at him. He had a king and an eight. _Eighteen._ He decided to stand, it was too risky to ask for another card as anything beyond three would be too much, so he settled for the number he had right now. They showed their cards, Shuichi had a twenty. _Damn._

”You already know me too well detective~” the liar smiled, but it wasn’t a sincere smile, Kokichi couldn’t pin point what type it was. “It’s the best out of three so you still have a chance of surviving” The boy said in a singsongy kind of voice before handing out the second set of cards. This time he got an ace and a three. _So either fourteen or four_. He asked for another card and got a six. _Twenty, good_. He stand and they showed their cards. He won as Shuichi had a seventeen, no match for his twenty.

It was the last hand he looked at his cards and noticed that he was shaking slightly, he wandered if the boy in front of him noticed too because if he did there was no indication of it whatsoever. The hand wasn’t bad a six and a five, could be a lot better to be honest but it could also be worst right? Perhaps, but he wasn’t completely sure. He asked for a card. An ace, yes! He had twenty one so he happily stand but that happiness banished when he saw the other boy’s cards. He also had twenty one? He stared at the cards dumbfounded.

”Dammit, it looked like we tied” the taller boy huffed. He collected the set of cards and put it in his pocket. “That was fun at least, but it seems like I will have to take your life on another occasion detective” he stood up and walked to the kitchen with his mug on his hand, leaving it in the sink. _Leaving more work for Amami-san now aren’t we?._ He stood in front of Kokichi, his hand behind his head.

”W-wait, you did that on purpose didn’t you Saihara-kun?” It seemed odd, not only did they tie but with twenty one? This had to be one of Shuichi’s antics. The boy in question smiled innocently and shrugged.

”I don’t know what your talking about Ouma-Chan” he stated “are you accusing ME or cheating? I’m offended” he scoffed at the allegation. Ouma knew he was lying, but didn’t push further he wasn’t sure why. So instead he saw as the supreme leader walked towards the exit with a happy “see you around Ouma-Chan” and he was quick to replay even if he wasn’t sure that the other boy heard him.

He remained there for a few moments watching the corner that the bluenette has just turned, he found himself longing to talk to him again but quickly pushed the thought away, before standing up and going to the kitchen himself. He washed his and Shuichi’s mug replaying the odd interaction in his head. This wasn’t the Saihara he knew, he was completely different. But not in a bad way, he found himself thinking. He enjoyed his company, even with the death threats and lies, it seemed fun to be around this new version of the lovable boy he used to know. And he thought fondly, _he could get used to it._

A moment to late he realised. His hat was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out gayer than I expected, huh  
> (You don’t see me complaining tho)
> 
> Also, looks like someone has a crush there~ *wink wink*  
> Literally this chapter:  
> Shuichi: threatens to murder him  
> Kokichi: Okay, but that’s kinda hot


	3. An unintentional crush..?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone around him seems to notice his obvious crush, except Kokichi himself  
> Who knew that talking to Miu was all he had to do...
> 
> [Tw: internalised homophobia & homophobia (not to any of main characters tho)]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun facts: Japanese school years are divided in primary, lower secondary, higher secondary and then university!

He stared at the ceiling. Oh how much he _loved_ his insomnia. He turned on his phone and checked the time. _3_ _:43 am._ Giving up all hope of sleeping he opened the group chat, which had a couple of unread texts. On the second week of school he and some other members of his class created the “insomniac squad”, a group made out of a couple teenagers who could not consolidate sleep and would usually meet either on the common room or the terrace. _Which one is it today?_ He tapped on the icon and the chat appeared.

Gokuhara, the ultimate tennis pro and the person that always schedules their meetings, was asking were they would like to meet. Longing for fresh air as an escape from his heavy mind Ouma asked if they could meet upstairs, the rest of the people who were online (Tojo, Harukawa, she tagged along sometimes but wasn’t an official member’ and Gokuhara) agreed on the location so he set his phone aside and looked for a coat. With only a few lines of light coming from his window Kokichi stumbled through the dark trying to find something he could use to shield his body from the low temperatures, even though it was spring it was unnaturally cold outside. Not cold enough we’re he would need to cover his entire body but he would definitely need at least a jacket, especially considering his low resistance to the cold.

Wearing the first hoodie he found Ouma left his room and locked it. In order to get to the stairs that lead towards the terrace you had to go through the common room, luckily it should be empty at this hours of the night (or this hours of the morning perhaps?). He wasn’t planning on meeting anyone, but the detective doesn’t have much luck right now. Sitting on the couch with a steaming mug on his hand was Saihara, maybe if Kokichi was quiet enough the supreme leader wouldn’t notice his presence. So, as sneakily as he could at almost four in the morning the detective walked towards the stairs, he was half way through when the sound of the other’s voice stopped him.

”Where is my beloved Ouma-chan going at this hour?” _Beloved._ The nickname repeated inside his head. Shuichi moved to face him. The shorter boy wondered if he should respond, already knowing that the person who questioned him already knew the answer. Even though the only light on the room came from the screen behind him, Kokichi could see Saihara’s eyes very clearly, lately he found that he really enjoyed looking at them. He found them fascinating, some days they appeared to be grey but most of the time they were a beautiful gold color, contrasting with his blue hair.

Only now did the detective noticed the bags under the taller boy’s eyes, and wondered again just how much make up did this guy use? He knew for a fact that Shuichi used mascara because it was not possible that his eyelashes looked that way naturally (then again he was never close enough to his face to know that), but he pondered if he also used foundation to cover those.

When he realised that he had yet to answer the question he decided to do so. “I-I was going to meet the others in the terrace actually. What are you doing here?” He was sure that the bluenette was aware of the existence of the ‘insomniac squad’ as they had offered if he wanted to join but it would be quickly shut down by the liar, besides the only way he knew that you could access the terrace was going through the common room so he should have seen the other.  
  


”Watching a movie, and ,for the record, the main character is sooo dying at the end” he returned his gaze to the tv were ,what he assumed was a horror movie, was playing. The character was hiding in the bathroom, a knife on her hand as she leaned on the wall next to the door, a small window in front of her and silence filling the house. “Someone entered the house while they were hanging out, they already killed her boyfriend. That’s what happens to straight people” he made a _tsk_ sound with his mouth and shook his head.

“Wait, aren’t you...?” He didn’t finish the question as he knew the boy was aware of what he meant. Kokichi did not know this piece of information, up till now he was pretty sure that the supreme leader was interested in girls, of course he never asked. The taller boy gave him a disgusted look as he approached the couch to watch the movie. He sat next to Saihara.  
  


”Yes, I’m toootaaallyy straight!” He nodded giving the fakest smile “I looooove girls” okay, now this was an obvious lie. The way he was exaggerating it showed it, that and the look he shot Kokichi earlier. “That’s a lie of course! I thought it was obvious enough that I’m gay. Honestly I don’t understand what’s so interesting about girls that they have boobs? _Puag_ ” Shuichi made a gagging sound and the detective giggled, in reality he didn’t understand it either. Yes, he did find girls pretty but never felt any type of romantic attraction towards one before. He was sure that in time it would happen, but it never did and he started to worry. Was he not heterosexual? No, no he was, he just needed to wait to find the right girl, right? He hoped so. _This is not the time to have a sexuality crisis_. He made a mental note to ask Miu later.

”Why you asking Kichy~?” The detective’s face heat up, he didn’t want the other boy to get the wrong idea. Neither did he understand the warmth on his face, was it the fact that he assumed that Kokichi was attracted to him or the nickname he gave him? (It was given to him around a month ago, it was near the same time that the boy showed him his real personality and he had grown to like it.) The supreme leader came up with it after hearing Miu’s nickname, she called him Kich sometimes as did his uncle, and deciding that it was not cute enough for him.

”I-it’s not like that!” He yelped “I-I was just confused with your comment” he muttered this last part realising how loud he was before. Suddenly a loud sound came from the screen and Kokichi jumped, he always got scared easily with horror movies which stopped him from watching them frequently. Saihara laughed, and placed a hand around him.

”Don’t worry beloved I’ll protect you from the murderer!” He leaned closer to Kokichi in a way that his head was on top of the other’s shoulder. He accepted the hug but decided to placed his head on the taller boy’s chest instead (For extra comfort), making them fall a little bit. In the end they settled for this position. Shuichi was lying on the couch, his back to the cushions and his head on the armrest. The bluenette’s arms were around the shorter boy who had his head on the other’s chest and his hands closer to his own chest. Whenever he got scared the taller boy’s grip would tighten, a reassuring gesture that helped him calm down. Usually accompanied by a “You get scared too easily, Kichi”.

When the movie finally finished it was close to five am and a yawn escaped Kokichi’s mouth. He tried to sit up but the arms around him stopped him. He turned to look at Saihara and saw that the boy was sleeping snorting lightly, he could feel his chest rise and fall as he breathed. The sleeping boy’s face was so peaceful, an expression he hadn’t seen before. _He looks really pretty_. Wait, no. Was it normal to find your friend’s face pretty? It didn’t count because he was a guy right? It was just a fact that his face was pretty, it isn’t only Kokichi that thinks so. Yes, that’s it. Shuichi is objectively attractive that’s all.

Kokichi needed to get out of here. He gently removed Saihara’s arms from around him and stood up, getting away from the couch. His eyes felt heavy so he decided that his next course of action was to get to bed and sleep at least the two remaining hours he had until his alarm went off. But as he was walking away he felt a tug on his hoodie, turning around he saw that the person who did it was Saihara (in reality, he was the only alternative).   
  
“Don’t leeaavee” he whined. Kokichi felt his heart ache with guilt. _Fuck_. He wasn’t sure what to do, he was not about to stay and sleep on the common room so that Akamatsu could tease them in the morning. But he didn’t want to leave Shuichi alone. So he came to a stalemate.

”Fine, come on” he helped Saihara stand up and half dragged him back to his dorm. He searched for the keys in the pocket of his hoodie and unlocked the door. As soon as the door was open Shuichi dropped on the bed, making himself comfortable. He laid on his side, eye shut and his arms were open inviting Kokichi to come and sleep with him. The detective had no objections so he just took his hoodie off and jumped into bed with the bluenette. His face was once again pressed onto the other’s chest, and he hung onto it tightly, Saihara’s hands were around his waist holding him in place. He felt safe as he tuned out the voice in his face that told him this was wrong.

* * *

The sound of the alarm woke him up. He rubbed his eyes. Kokichi could feel arms around him and someone was playing with his hair, twirling his purple locks. He liked it, so he leaned into the touch.

.

.

_Wait, what?!  
_

Suddenly Ouma shot awake looking at the person that was previously playing with his hair. Gold eyes met his purple ones as he stared at Saihara’s face. His face was burning. That’s when Kokichi remembered what happened last night, they watched a movie together and then he invited Shuichi to his dorm because the supreme leader didn’t want to be alone. _I slept with Saihara_. Oh no, no, no, no. This was wrong, so so wrong. He ended up cuddling with another boy, non other than Shuichi Saihara. He wanted the earth to swallow him hole.

”Is my beloved Ouma-Chan feeling okay?” He stared back at the golden eyes and nodded, probably to much because his neck hurt a bit when he finished. “Fine, but don’t freak out like that!” He tapped Kokichi’s nose and giggled at his reaction “your like the cat in that one vine!” he snorted and continued laughing. _That’s adorable._ No, no it isn’t Kokichi. He exited the bed and checked his phone. _7:06._ It was fine, he still had forty five minutes until classes started.

_”_ S-shouldn’t you get back to your dorm already?” He walked to his closet and grabbed the parts of his uniform. He turned around to look at Shuichi who was still in bed and didn’t seem to have moved an inch since he woke up.

”I don’t really mind changing here~” he had that smug grin of his again. Kokichi looked away, his cheeks heating up.

”W-well you don’t have your uniform...” he tried to steady his voice which proved not very effective.

”Dang you caught me!” The bluenette huffed. Then he stood up and walked to the door, with a quick “I’ll see you around Ouma-chan!” He left the detective’s dorm and onto the hallway. Kokichi wondered if anyone saw him. Would they think something of it? Maybe they think that they actually slept together and start thinking that Ouma is disgusting. Memories of his former classmates appeared and he quickly pushed them away, not wanting the pain right now. Still, he knew that if anyone saw that Shuichi was leaving his dorm they would question them, he could only hope that the liar didn’t say anything about it.

When he finished changing into his uniform and arrived at the cafeteria almost all of his classmates were already eating. He greeted most of them (at least the ones that greeted him first) and walked over to his usual table, with Maki, Kaito and Miu. As he was seating down Amami placed a plate of food in front of him. He thanked the green haired boy and tried to remind him that he should take a break, but his comment was shut down by the footman who always placed other’s needs before his own.

”I was getting worried, sidekick. Your never late!” Maki stated. Kokichi could never understand The energy that fueled this girl, she was always so optimistic and hopeful with her mentality of believing in everyone even though they make mistakes. Next to her was her other best friend (the first one was Kokichi) , the ultimate assassin, Kaito Momota. An...unusual pair, but he tried his best to support them and help their relationship in any way he could as they weren’t together but wanted to (of course the other didn't know). Miu sat next to Ouma, she smiled casually at him as she finished her breakfast, which reminded him that he has yet to take a single bite from his food.

”I just had trouble sleeping last night so I woke up a late” Kokichi had never been good at lying, whenever he did an uncomfortable smile would appear on his face or he would stutter. Miu noticed this instantly (the perks of being his childhood friend) but didn’t pry on the topic. However someone wasn’t so kind.

”What, trouble sleeping with Saihara?” The mocking voice of Akamatsu turned the busy room (not so much as there were only 16 students, but still you get the point) into a silent place, all eyes stared at him and his face _burned_.

”Shut it you dollar tree whore”Shuichi shot her disgusted look, much like the one Ouma saw when he asked him if he was straight. The girl yelped at the insult and Saihara grinned, a rather evil one. Then his smiled turned softer as he turned to look at Kokichi who was really close to running out of the cafeteria and locking himself up in his room for the rest of his life. _What’s wrong with her?!_ If it wasn’t clear before it was know, everyone thought that he he liked guys, which wasn’t true. They would think he is repulsive and push him aside and leave him alone. Kokichi couldn’t bare to think about this possibility, so he tried to push the thought away, but it just kept coming, filling his mind.

“Hey, Kich, you alright?” Miu was moving a hand in front of his face while the other one hold onto one is his. He looked up at her.

”Y-yes, yes. It’s nothing I was just...thinking” Ouma smiled, trying to calm his friend. It was truly nothing, he was just being realistic.

”Don’t let Akamatsu get to you” Kaito contributed “I’m sure she’s just doing it for attention” he shot the ‘do you wanna die’ look at Kaede who made an _eep_ sound before looking away.

”Come on, it was just a joke, she doesn’t really mean it. You shouldn’t be so hard on her” she mumbled the last part but Kokichi, who was sitting next to her, heard it. The detective was well aware of the pianist’s crush, so it made sense that she wouldn’t want her classmates to talk badly about her. The strawberry blonde had confessed to him that she was pansexual a little over a week ago, even if Kokichi already suspected (more like knew) that she was attracted to both guys and girls he appreciated that she trusted him enough to tell him. He should bring up what was happening to him later that day, to know what Miu thought about it.

”Ok, but really. You have been spending a lot of time around him.” She nudged Kokichi and giggled.

”He’s fun to be around, I guess” he shrugged. Ouma really did enjoy the bluenette’s company, even with all the lies he told the detective found him fascinating (and attractive but his not about to acknowledge that), it another one of their games. They would usually hung out after school, or late at night when Kokichi couldn’t sleep. Sometimes he would make a cup of tea for both them and tell one of his incredibly difficult to believe story about a heist he did with the rest of DICE, they didn’t fail to make him laugh or at least forget momentarily that it was three in the morning.

”Bullshit, he’s a little bitch” Kaito cut in. For some reason they really disliked each other. Actually, it was a very obvious one. Saihara would go out of his way to bother Kaito and Maki, but the astronaut’s case it was pranks more than anything. On the other hand the liar would usually make comments regarding Momota’s ultimate pretending to be scared and what not, in order to push his buttons. Kaito became increasingly annoyed with the supreme leader’s presence and would normally excuse himself if Shuichi attempted to hung out with the detective while they were talking, to put in his worlds “he would choke the life out of him” if he was pushed over the edge.

“He isn’t that bad!” Kokichi understood why other people didn’t like the liar because he was, well, a liar and enjoyed bothering people rather than trying to form friendships. But if they attempted to get to know him people would realise there is more to the boy than just the lies he wrapped himself in. Kokichi had known him for three months now (with a sudden shift in his personality a little before the first month ended) and found interacting with the bluenette a lot of different things, it was fun but confusing most of the time, it was interesting but at the same time challenging, the list when on. The problem is that Shuichi wasn’t one to open up to people, the detective didn’t know why the boy decided that he was trustworthy. Or if he even thought that.

”You just say that because he doesn’t call you a space idiot!” That was true though. Shuichi had a habit of making fun of Maki because if her life long dream, going to space. That and the fact that she isn’t the smartest person on their class, to be honest she wasn’t close to being, but Kokichi was not about to tell her so he kept his mouth shut.

”But you are” Momota’s voice was deadpanned, another person who had this habit. Harukawa gasped in surprise, noticeably offended at her friend’s comment.

”I thought you were friends..?” Miu wasn’t around the pair as much, which meant she didn’t know just how much the assassin called his friend an idiot. But you could tell that he also says it from a place of affection, _he truly loves her._ Kokichi smiled, remember his chat with both of them, separately they confessed to him about their crush on each other but the detective wasn’t sure what he could do to help them.

* * *

_“I think I should go for it? I don’t know his so complicated” Maki through herself onto the bed. “I mean, I think he likes me but I don’t know” she was complaining about Kaito. Kokichi didn’t understand why she would come to talk to him about love since he had never been in a relationship but the astronaut insisted on ranting to the detective rather than her female friends who would probably understand better, or at least someone with experience like Miu._

_”I agree with you, he probably likes you” he offered a smile. When he was around Maki the assassin tend to look away often of would call her things like ‘stupid’ or an ‘idiot’ over petty things._ I think Keebo mentioned that called a ‘tsundere’?. _Besides every time he looked away the detective could see the blush on Momota’s face, he definitely had a crush on Harukawa. “He acts kinda weird around you”_

_”Really?” Maki sat up. For some reason she considered him an expert at analysing people because of his experience as a detective and what he leaned from Lessie (The nickname he gave to Celeste, the other ultimate detective at the academy who he met a little before te school year started). So the dark haired girl was quick to believe what he said._

_”Y-yeah” Kokichi was taken back by her excitement “You never noticed?” The astronaut wasn’t very observant so it seemed obvious that she wouldn’t pay attention when Kaito suddenly look away after she smiled at him or cheered him on during gym. As specked she shook her head. “Well, he starts blushing and looks away just to stop you from seeing it”_

_“That’s by he stops looking at me? I thought he was coughing or something”_ coughing? When did you hear a cough? _Not relevant.”Fine then, I’ll ask him! Ill ask him to come on a date with me!” She stood up and went to the door “Thanks, sidekick!”  
  
_ _She chickened out in the end._

* * *

“I j _ust don’t get it Kokichi, she’s too oblivious!” Kaito and Ouma were talking over a cup of coffee when somehow the conversation turned into a rant about how Maki doesn’t notice his obvious feelings._ Ah, shit. Here we go again _._

_For your information, yes Kokichi can meme thank you very much._

_Moving on. The detective had talked to the dark haired girl only a couple of days ago and even when she said she was going to ask him on a date here he was, talking with Kaito about how oblivious she is._ They need to get their shit together. _He sighed._

_”Then maybe, you should consider being more direct? I don’t think you really show it” Kokichi was right, Momota was bad at showing his feelings. He wanted Maki to notice while the only thing the purple haired boy did was look away when he was flustered. He couldn’t be serious right now. “If you really want to, maybe you could..ask her out..?”_

_In reality Ouma didn’t really cared how, but they needed to get together because he didn’t want to talk at one am about Kaito with the astronaut again._

_”Do you wanna die?” The assassin was cold when he wanted to be, regardless in this moment the detective knew it was just a sign of his nervousness. He was scared of rejection, which was stupid considering it was Maki they were talking about but whatever._

_”Y-your nervous right? I don’t really know how you feel but I want to help you, so if there’s anything I can do please tell me” he tried to replicate one of Miu’s smiles that say ‘you can count on me’ but wasn’t sure if he succeeded. Whether he did or not the assassin smiled back which was, rare to say the least._

_”Let me come up with something and then I’ll tell you how to help, got it?” Kokichi nodded “Good. Thank you Kokichi” They moved on from that topic of conversation and sat there until they had no more coffee left. Once they were done they parted ways._

_Kokichi was still waiting for the plan to be finished_

* * *

After some more small talk they finished their breakfast and Ouma goes to the kitchen to help the footman clean the dishes. This was not as easy task for one person, though it probably was for the ultimate footman, so the detective was glad to help even of the green haired boy complained.

He spent the rest of the time inside his ultimate lab with Lessie. They shared the lab to save the school the time and money to make another one since they were the only student (excluding the ultimate lucky students) to share their talent, it’s not like they minded. Kokichi enjoyed the company and Celeste was a nice person to be around, even if she wore a pocker face most of the time Ouma always find a way to make her crack a smile on their stay at the lab.

When the clock marked 7:50 they parted ways and the boy went to his homeroom. This class was...interesting. Their homeroom teacher was Ruruka Ando, the ultimate confectioner, which unsurprisingly meant that she tried to get them to eat her sweets. Saihara’s was thrilled, _one of this days his going to get diabetes,_ as he loves sugary food. Which would sometimes lead to him stealing Kaito’s when the assassin wasn’t looking, calling him ungrateful.

Kokichi enjoyed them as well, all the food she gave them was always delicious. Besides eating their homeroom teacher would normally bring up some silly topic to talk in the meantime, the only exception was today when she proposed a bonding activity and they ended up baking sweets together. That’s when Ouma discovered his passion for baking. He also noted that Saihara can’t cook to save his life.

He was watching time tick away. Only five more minutes of class, _god history is a pain._ The bell rang and he quickly put everything away, sloppily if truth be told. Before she was able to get to the hallway Kokichi stopped Miu and ask to talk to her.

”Sure, something the matter?” She asked while they walked over to her dorm. Iruma has always been such a good friend and he was terrified of what would happened when he told her. He wasn’t even sure himself. He didn’t want it to be true.

”No, I just wanted to ask you something” Miu gave him a questioning look “in private” he added.

The reached her door, which had a plate with her name on it, and she opened the door. Having spent a lot of hours inside of that room already Ouma felt comfortable enough to throw his bag somewhere and make himself on her bed.

”Okay, what did you want to talk about?” She had an encouraging smile. Kokichi was once more terrified of what would happen.

”W-well I wanted to know...how did you realise you have a c-crush on Akamatsu-chan?” His face was already warm and he hadn’t even started talking about the worst part. He hoped to be wrong about this though.

”Oh, I see~” she teased him. Ouma pushed her back and she fell on the pillows. “Fine, fine. So first I noticed that she was really pretty, like she’s beautiful.” He hummed in agreement.“Also, sometimes I look at her hands and wonder what it would like to hold them or caress her cheek and kiss her” Miu was looking at the ceiling her face covered a crimson red. _Huh._ ”Now tell me, do you ever feel this way about the mystery person?” She sat up and looked at the detective.

”I-I” he stopped to collect his thoughts. Yes, he did sometimes think that Saihara was pretty, so what? He had already arrived to the conclusion that he was objectively attractive. Did he wish to hold hand with him? Maybe..? It’s not like he actively thought about it because whenever he was with Shuichi it was like time stopped and nothing really mattered beyond their interaction.

_Oh no._

  
“Hey, Ko” she snapped her fingers “you spaced out for a second. Are you feeling alright?” He come back to reality, trying to give priority to this conversation rather than the ideas inside his brain.

”Oh! Y-yeah” he was finding it hard to maintain eye contact. He wished he had his hat. His eyes ached to.

“Sooooooo, are you planning on telling me who it is or..?” She made that weird face of hers that meant she wanted information. One eyebrow was up and the other down, her eyes slightly closed and her lips popped out a little as if she wanted to peck someone on their lips.

“Well, I’m not r-really sure if it is a crush...?” He made it seem like a question not really directed at the pianist as much as it was at himself. Kokichi really wasn’t sure.  
  


”Fine, but you gotta tell me so I can help you!” Miu was exited, to say the least. Kokichi had never come forward with a crush of his own it was always her talking about it, the same happened a week ago when she started talking Kaede. Iruma always had an itsy bitsy suspicion about her best friend’s sexuality, he never seemed interested in girls even though he claimed to be straight but then again neither did he show interest in guys. Until he did! How did she forget that time when he called the Starbucks barista hot, the employee was but she realised it was the first time he ever called someone hot (for the record, as she said before, the guy _was_ hot).

Disappointed with the lack of response she took a different course of action “How about I guess then?” Iruma’s determination was impressing, _she’s not giving up is she?_. He sighed.

”Okay, you can try” If he was correct and Miu found out he was fucked. Then again, he wasn’t sure if it was correct. He surely wasn’t.

“Is it....Chabashira-chan?” He shook his head violently, Tenko was like a sister to him. That and the fact that she was _definitely_ a lesbian and in love with Yumeno. Not only did she become really flustered whenever the aikido master would stand up for her it also appeared like she enjoyed the other’s company because the magician never complained when the former would follow her around like a dog.

The blonde went on to naming basically every girl on their class even if she was hesitant when she mentioned Akamatsu and all the detective did was shake his head. Maybe she was right, maybe he actually was gay. So she tried bringing up another name that was floating on her mind for a while now.

”Then, what about Saihara-kun?” _Bingo_. The plum-haired boy’s face flushed even when he tried to hide it.

”W-what? No. Besides you know I don’t like guys” His voice was betraying him. He had tried to sound self assured but ended up stuttering, he wasn’t even able to convince himself. Then again there was a part of his brain that he could never convince.

”I don’t know, your face says something different~” she teased him, but of course she was wrong. Right? _  
_

”Really! I don’t” again he was betrayed by his vocal cords, he sounded almost desperate.

”Fine, then tell me. Do you think he’s hot?” Miu tilted her head slightly

”Well, I mean. Yea....?” His face burned when he realised what he just said and quickly tried to correct himself. “B-but I mean, it’s basically a fact, right? Like his objectively attractive” he repeated the lie he had been telling himself (he didn’t know it was a lie of course) hoping to stop Iruma from getting an incorrect idea.

”No, no his not” she shook her head “sure, his eyelashes are in flick but that’s it” truth be told, she resented the boy’s makeup abilities. Kokichi cursed inwards. “Next question. Tell me, have you ever imagined doing any specific activities with him. Not in a dirty way Ko, I swear to god if you say fucking I’m disowning you” He laughed, which helped to calm him down a little. In all honestly, Ouma was guilty of this. He wondered what it would be like to go with Saihara to the rooftop and stargaze instead of maki, but he wasn’t sure if that was what she meant. Regardless he nodded.

”Really, like what?” She was a little to close for the detective’s comfort right now, considering he was one, feeling like his face would melt any second now, and two, anxious as fuck which usually meant he was sweating (if his hands were any indication). Not a good combination. 

“It’s nothing really, just..stargazing?” His voice almost turned into a whispered when revealing his fantasy with supreme leader.

”That’s so cute! Now the important question what do you like about him?”   
  


“What are you my psychologist?” He tried to release the tension in his chest with the comment.

”Nope! I’m a matchmakers it’s what we do. Now answer my question”

”Well” he played with his purple locks “He’s funny, I know you don’t really like him because he usually makes fun of Maki but when his not doing that his actually really nice to be around” he said this fast because he already knew his friend rebuttal as she told him this morning. “Also, his like an enigma, a puzzle. You see, he lies _a lot_ but it’s fun to try and guess what part of the things he says are true and which are lies, also there are different layers to his lies so you have the obvious ones and then the ones that he tells to stop people from getting close to him.” She shot him a weird look “I know, I know. He isn’t one of my cases, but that’s the fun of hanging out with him, well that and his ability to always make me feel better or take my mind off of things.”

”Ko, in all honesty. Your crushing _hard.”_ She emphasised the last word. No, no he wasn’t.

”What, no. I- I don’t have a crush in him.” He tried and remain calm, it was just a crush it wasn’t that big of a deal. Except it was. He had been so sure that this feelings weren’t signals of a crush, but he was so goddamn wrong.

”Really? Did you even listen to yourself? Please, it’s so obvious” Was it? Fuck. Did he really...? Did he have a crush on Saihara?

_Yes, yes he did._

  
”Holy shit” It was like being smacked on the face. He _did_ have a crush on Shuichi. With his stupid playful grin and does beautiful golden eyes were you could get lost in. Was he? Oh, god he was. “Fuck”. His world came crushing down ( _okay, drama queen_ ), all the feelings he had been pushing down had found a way to spill through the crack and here he was. Hyperventilating, on the brink of tears and his mind was killing him. Playing over and over and over again those _awful_ memories of his old school, he was just a kid but it stuck with him.   
  
**  
It‘s wrong to like another boy.**

_  
“_ Oh, shit. Ko? Please look at me. You’re breathing too fast” She had concerned written all over her face. _Great! Now you made her worried about you because of your stupid emotions!_ He took deep breath, desperately trying to calm down. “Are you okay?”

_”_ S-sure” he tried shaking his head to rid himself of the awful thoughts “I mean, totally I’m fine” 

“Kokichi” His full name, it meant something was definitely wrong. “Tell me the truth” her gaze was intense but it was just because she cared, the look a sister would give to her sibling when they wouldn’t open up about a hardship.

”Miu” he hesitated. This is what scared him. Even more than coming to the realisation that he was.....yeah. The fact that he had to tell her, his childhood best friend, and knowing that she would him. He would be alone again. It terrified him. “Miu, I-I-I think I’m” he swallowed, god he wasn’t prepared for this. _Help me Atua._ “gay” he was close to a whisper at this point, struggling to breath.

The pianist looked at him in he eyes and replacing the concern in her face was a reassuring smile. That’s all? “Is that what got you so worked up?” He nodded

She hugged him and that was it. All of the tears he was holding back fell like a waterfall, he was sure her blazer would be soaked once he stopped but he didn’t care right now. Ouma kept going until there were no more tears left in his system.

Then she let go. “I’m glad you trust me enough to tell me, Ko. But why were you so afraid?” He dreaded the question, at least things went better than expected. A lot, better than he anticipated. He thought that Iruma was going to yell at him or kick him out and ignore him for the rest of his life, but she didn’t.

Kokichi took a deep breath and started. “Remember my old school?” She nodded “Back then I was in primary, I was eleven and there was this guy who was in lower secondary, he was fourteen. And well, this guy he was actually quite open about his sexuality. Most of the school was cool with it, me included. But there was also this group of student they weren’t so..kind. Sometimes I would pass his class while walking to my own and saw them scribble things on his seat or make fun of him during breaks, it didn’t really get better.” He felt the need to stop, this next memories tormented him. “This people started beating him up when he told the teachers, also this one time they left a flower on his desk.” He stopped to breath again, his heartbeat loud on his ears. “S-so when I started feeling this _things_ I-I got scared, and my brain kept replaying what my classmates would say and do and I was afraid that you would do the same so I tried avoiding it. I kept telling myself that I didn’t have a crush on him that his just beautiful in general, until, well, today. Because you pointed it out.” The tears were back, just when he hoped his tear ducts were broken.

”Oh, god. Kich i didn’t know. Please, remember that I’m always, always, here for you I won’t abandon you because of your sexuality. I mean, it’s not like I’m straight myself.” She chuckled and Kokichi laughed with her. _Miu really is a good friend, I’m glad I didn’t lose her._ “Also, our class is great they won’t say anything either.” Ouma looked away his smile fading. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea of telling his classmates, especially not right now when he had very recently discovered himself. Or more like, he had just come to terms with it, at least a little.

“Look, I don’t want to pressure you tell them when you feel comfortable” she stroked his arm “What I’m saying is that, whenever you tell them, they will support you as well” Kokichi pulled her into another hug, it felt as if a weight was lifted of his shoulders and he was truly happy. “You could go about it this way. First you can should come clean about you heterocromia” he pulled out of the embrace.  
  


”You want me to them about my disease?” Since he was little he had always hated his eyes, most kids would make fun of him or avoid him all together.

”How many times do I have to tell you? It isn’t a disease, your eyes are awesome!” The same reaction as always. Miu hated it when Kokichi would tear himself down like that, he truly was a wonderful person but for some reason he couldn’t see it.

”Okay, okay. I’ll tell some of them” He wasn’t prepared to tell everyone, but telling his other two closest friends wouldn’t hurt. _Maybe even Shuichi._ “I’m going to tell Maki and Kaito. Then I’ll see how to go about telling everyone else. Sound good?”

”Better that what I expected.” She was being honest “Enough depressing talk! Let’s watch friends or something to loosen up a bit, I’ll bring snacks~” The strawberry blond sat up and exited the dorm while the boy started up Netflix. Unlike the pianist Kokichi didn’t like that show so he settled for Brooklyn 99 instead.

They spent the rest of the evening watching the third season of the show and chatting about nothing in particular. Iruma telling him about her day and how she got to hold Akamatsu’s hand during homeroom because the other blonde wasn’t strong enough to mix the ingredients, so she offered to help. In return Kokichi told him about last night.

”WHAT?” She chocked on the chips she was eating “So that’s why Saihara-kun came out of your room this morning!” Kokichi’s face flushed

”You saw it?” _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This isn’t a good time for this._

_”_ Yeah, at first I imagined you wanted to talk about that. Now I’m glad that I didn’t bring it up” she resumed eating “How are you holding up?”   
  


“Surprisingly, I’m fine” he expected to freak out more. Actually he did have a sort of breakdown because of it. Regardless he anticipated that he would feel horrible or disgusting for much longer, but he was fine. In reality, he felt great. Ouma knew he had his best friend’s support and possibly his classmate’s as well. “Thank you, Miu” 

In response he received a hug, the third one to be precise, and of course he returned the embrace. Right now, he was genuinely happy and not even the voice in his head could change that.


	4. An unexpected outcome..?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maki is ready to ask the assassin on a date. Unfortunately Kokichi gets caught up on her plans.  
> What if someone had a plan of their own?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve finally finished this, so sorry it took so long! I started working on it over a week ago but had a bit of a writer block so I only wrote small portions of the chapter each day.   
> Fun fact!: the orchids represent fertility and sexuality.  
> (No surprise I chose it to be Miu’s favourite flower, even if I was considering Lily because think about it, the person who makes dirty jokes liking flowers that represent chastity.)  
> Miu’s favourite flower, why could I possibly look for that?

It has been a week since I had that conversation with Miu, time really flies, huh.

Although, that’s probably because of Maki, she has taken up all my free time with her plan. A plan with the objective of confessing to Momota-kun and finally asking him out. Harukawa’s acceptance of the boy’s talent and upbeat personality was what had transform a cold person into one of my closest friends, so the least I can do is help her as payback (in reality, it’s more out of gratitude).

  
Continuing on the topic of her welcoming character, neither her nor Kaito reacted in the way I imagines once I told them about my heterocromia, which motivated me to finally stop using my contacts. I left them inside my drawer yesterday and ignoring my impulse to wear them when went to breakfast, most of them stared at me and made comments it was kind of overwhelming, thankfully it didn’t last long. It was kinda of nice while it lasted actually.

* * *

_The loud sound of his alarm woke Ouma up. It was in times like this that he was thankful of the soundproof walls because his neighbours would murder him if they ought to hear the noice his phone made every morning. He continued with his usual routine, getting up and changing into his uniform. But today there was a change, he decided to stop himself from using his contact. It was hard to leave behind his habit but he settled on hiding them inside his drawers so as to avoid any temptation of wearing them._

_Kokichi left his dorm feeling an unusual confidence, as he walked down the hall he could hear the soft chatter emerging from the cafeteria. Unlike his sudden confidence, it was usual to find little more than two third of his class eating since most people were already awake (the early birds who were always eating at around six or six thirty in the morning ,albeit classes start at seven, were Miu, Amami-san, Yumeno-chan and Shinguji-kun_ _. And the rest of the class soon followed except for Saihara-kun, Gokuhara-kun and Chabashira-chan who always arrive late.)_

_As if she had a sixth sense Maki snapped her head at Ouma’s direction and waved frantically “Good morning sidekick!”_

_“Morning” He stood awkwardly in the doorway, everyone’s eyes were on him. This was the moment of truth, should he have dreaded this moment?_

_”Wow, Ouma-chan’s eyes are so pretty!” Shuichi exclaimed, the detective’s face heating up._

_”Atua agrees, they are truly a blessing~” Shinguji added_

_”For a degenerate they are considerably interesting” Yumeno admitted. And as those three remarks most of his classmates started praising his eyes. This wasn’t the way he expected this to go, then again he was getting a lot of surprisingly good outcomes lately. Kokichi smiled at the compliments, enjoying the moment deeply (it wasn’t because of the praise rather the fact that his friend accepted he was different.)_

_“Wait a minute” everyone turned their attention to the liar “Why didn’t you tell us earlier? Not like any of us care about your weird eyes or anything” for that he received an elbow to his gut belonging to Yumeno, who also muttered something along the lines of ‘shut up degenerate!’ (_ She has grown a lot in this last months, probably because of Chabashira-chan, she even stands up for some of the guys sometimes albeit she still calls us degenerates _) Kokichi knew the comment wasn’t supposed to be hurtful taking into consideration the nature of the person who said it, so instead he laughed at Himiko’s reaction._

_“It’s just, I wasn’t sure how you would react” he looked at the ground, desperately trying to escape eye contact without the comfort of his hat (which was stolen a couple of months ago)._

_”I hope you don’t mind me asking” Amami-kun said, as respectful as always “but why were you scared of us?”  
_

_”No, I’m not scared if you at all!” His classmates were taken off guard by the volume of his voice “I always had problems with the way people thought of me because I wasn’t ‘normal’” He did air quotes with his hands. “Some kids made fun of me when I was younger”_

_”Mind telling me their names? I just wanna talk” Kaito stated his face forming his popular death glare, even if he wouldn’t admit it the assassin cared about his friends._

_“Kaito, don’t! We were like six, it’s not their fault! Kokichi’s nervousness leaks to his voice_

_”His right, if someone’s going to avenge my beloved it must be me!” The ultimate leader said dramatically._

_“Please, you can’t fight for shit twink” Akamatsu scoffed_

_“As if you could do anything you weak ass looking slut!” His signature grin plastered in his face, Ouma heard what he thought was an ‘eek’ sound coming from the inventor “I will just send my minions so they tear them to shreds!” Again his malicious grin dropped rapidly “but that’s a lie, I have a no kids killing policy you know?” Apparently the blue-haired boy found more interest on his fingernails that the conversation._

_The detective laughed “I thought you had a no killing policy all together” he remembered his conversations about DICE albeit Saihara refused to disclose what information was the truth, but that was what made the interactions more interesting and was one of the reasons Ouma sticked around the supreme leader._   
  


_”You know too much my beloved Ouma-chan”_

_That marked the end of that conversation, everyone dispersing to their usual tables. Until Keebo started the topic of pride month, telling everyone that they were making pins, bracelets and small flags or keychains to add to everyone backpacks asking if anyone wanted something while showcasing their own bracelet (it had the non-binary flag colours in it.)_

_Kokichi was surprised to see that the entirely of his class started commissioning Keebo to make accessories for them, he wasn’t aware that_ everyone _on his class was part of the LGBTQ+ community.  
  
_

_”And here I was thinking that at least one of us was straight” Shirogane sighed_

_”Whatever gave you that idea? It’s obvious that all of us are gay as fuck” Saihara commented_

_”Actually” Maki pointed out “Your straight Kich, aren’t you?” Everyone’s attention was on him. Again. Great. This is fine, totally. This is how I wanted my classmates to find out. Fine. Great. This is okay. Breath in. Breath out. He stopped when he heard Shuichi laughing. “What are you laughing at?” Harukawa was clearly annoyed.  
_ _  
”It’s nothing don’t worry about it, Moron-roll” he moved his hand dismissively “I just think your wrong about Sherlock Homo over there, but whatevs” he examined his nails once again._

_“Moron-roll!? You little” Harukawa looked as if she was about to punch the supreme leader but Momota reluctantly hold her back.  
_

Wait, what did he call me? _”Sherlock Homo?!” Kokichi shrieked followed why Miu giggling beside him, he shot her a glare._

_  
”What? He’s got a point” he whispered back_

_  
”Well then sidekick tell me, am I wrong?” Maki questioned him._ Help Atua _._  
  


_”A-actually yes, you...are” The floor always seemed welcoming so he stared at it, after all the floor doesn’t have emotions so it can’t judge you._

_”Oh, really? My bad” Harukawa said flatly “then what_ is _it?”_ Damn your curiosity Maki _. It’s fine, he told Miu before. Likewise all of his class was far from straight so this should be fine. He met her gaze._

_”I’m....gay” he played with his hair, a clear sign of his uncomfortableness._

_”Told you” Saihara seemed proud of himself as he leaned closer to Harukawa who pushed him away quickly, Shuichi had a self proclaimed incredible accurate gay-dar._

_”So Iruma-chan requested them for you then...” Keebo mumbled thoughtfully._ Yeah, that sounds like something Miu would do _. He looked at her and she smiled innocently._

_”Come on” she nudged him “I think it would help you get more comfortable with it” her genuine concern for him made him happy, there was a reason why she was his best friend._

* * *

I need to focus on Maki right now. She is supposed to tell Momota today and it has been increasingly hard to stop her from making any stupid comments that would reveal her strategy this past few days. According to what she told me the first step is convincing Kaito to meet her inside the ultimate astronaut’s lab, she will probably solicit to stargaze with him which is innocent enough (as it is something we have done countless times). After some time stargazing she wants to confess, the thing is, she was still debating whether she should make some cheesy speech declaring her love for the assassin or use another method of communicating her feelings, Saihara suggested she throws him from the roof and gained a dirty look from Harukawa. If everything went well Maki would ask the purple haired boy to go out with her on a date, then again she could also him to just be her boyfriend but it’s not like I know anything about this.

*

Kokichi left his dorm for the second time today after finishing his homework. It was six in the afternoon which gave Maki two hours to complete her planning as she wanted to do it at night, presumably to be able to actually see the stars, something that Ouma agreed with. He made his way to the kitchen hoping to find some unhealthy snack to fill his stomach. Once in the cafeteria, however, he met the one and only Momota who’s eyes seemed like daggers stabbing straight into him.

”Ah, Kokichi, good I have a question for you” _Please don’t ask about Maki._ Ouma prayed approaching the other ultimate. “I’m sure Maki is plotting something, that idiot can’t keep her mouth shut” _again with the insults, they appear more frequent as of late “_ but I need to know, what do you know about it?” This was the time to know if hanging out with Shuichi helped his own lying skill. _Please work._

“I’m not sure, she hasn’t really come to my dorm to chat lately” He could only hope that the assassin wouldn’t prey further “I’m sorry” he added. Kaito let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed his temple. After some awkward silence Momota walks out of the cafeteria mumbling something to himself. _I hope he doesn’t figure it out albeit it’s probably inevitable._

“Why the long face Ouma-chan?” Saihara emerged from the kitchen with a drink in his hand, Kokichi was well aware of the boy’s sugar addiction and his tendency to drink too much of the strawberry flavour soda. This made him wonder how many Pantas he drank each day. However, the thing that really caught his attention was the accessory on top of Saihara’s head. It was his hat. Shuichi took two months ago then.

”It’s nothing you should worry about Saihara-kun” Ouma offered a smile but knowing the blue-haired boy’s curious tendencies it would be hard to keep him away from the topic.

”Of course I should worry if it’s making my beloved sad!” Kokichi’s face flushed “that a lie though, I already know what’s happening.” He smirked. Indubitably the blue-haired boy was bound to know what was going on, he was incredible at reading people also he was brilliant. “Maki-roll is soooo bad at hiding things” or Harukawa was just that horrible at keeping a secret.

”How did you find out?” _Shit._ If Shuichi knew where the astronaut was taking the other ultimate there was an endless number of possibilities that could take place, from the supreme leader pulling a prank on them to telling Momota what was going to happen, if he didn’t figure it out himself. Kokichi had to stop him from interfering.

”She isn’t exactly subtle, you have to be as stupid as she is not to notice something’s up” Saihara sat at one of the table and signaled Ouma to sit with him. “They really are made for each other, they are both such idiots” Kokichi kicked him from beneath the table making the other boy yelp. “Fine, that was a lie! Momota-Chan is actually smart” he continued drinking his Panta.

”Well, they do say opposites attract” Ouma tapped a finger on his chin thoughtfully, reminded of the frase that his uncle sometimes said.

”Just like us!” Shuichi exclaimed, Kokichi had to look down at the table trying to him his crimson red face. “But that’s a lie, unfortunately we aren’t meant to be. It’s like a forbidden love, a detective and a criminal!” _He’s so childish._ As child like as the other was the flirting was really getting to him, it was not exactly fun t have your crush teasing you constantly.

”Really now?” He tried to add to the conversation, figuring that if he didn’t say anything Shuichi would continue.

”Yes, will have to die together in order to get them to accept our relationship!” Crocodile tears starting to fall down the other’s cheeks. At this point in time Ouma was well aware that those tears were fake but he couldn’t stop the feeling of dread on his gut so, as he always did when the Saihara acted this way, he reached over the table and used his thumb to remove the tears. “Silly Ouma-chan, you always fall for it!” Shuichi started laughing and the detective let go of his face, smiling as well.

”I don’t like seeing you cry real or fake” it was the undeniable truth. He hated it every time the other ultimate started crying, it was always an act but it still felt wrong. Saihara’s mask fell for a second and his face was blank. He quickly recovered and giggled at the detective.

”Okay, this was fun but I need to make a plan to ruin Maki-roll’s so I’ll see you tonight~” Saihara told him and stood up taking with him his half full soda.  
  


”What? No wait Saihara-kun, you can’t do that!” Kokichi exclaimed but the only response he got was a smirked from the blu-haired boy and a wink. Then he resumed his walk down the hallway towards his dorm (second floor, fourth on the rest side. Don’t ask why Ouma had that memorised.) His comment let the detective numb, was he going to screw up Maki’s plan? He hoped not, his friend had been working hard on it. As hard as Maki could without getting distracted at least.

Without anything else to do, Ouma left as well. The silence that drowned the hallway contrasted with the loud sounds that could be heard in the morning as everyone was inside their rooms at this hour, except Amami perhaps, who usually cleaned when no one was around. Without noticing how long he had been walking he looked around and saw that he was face to face with a panicky Maki, walking back and forth in front of Momota’s door and talking to herself.

”Maki? Do you need anything?” That seemed to catch the astronaut’s attention since she looked up from the carpet, her blood red eyes replicated the uneasiness she showed through her actions.  
  


”Kokichi perfect! I really need your help.” Before the detective could replied he was dragged by the dark haired girl towards her room, shutting the door behind them. Kokichi examined the room and noticed one key thing. Her room was messy. Really messy. On the walls were a large number of posters from different space companies (NASA, SpaceX and alike) while her roof had those glow in the dark stars you could purchase in the supermarket. The desk was cluttered with papers, from homework to a series of what the detective presumed to be personal notebooks, additionally there were several beverages on top of some piles of paper.   
  


Maki was currently rummaging through one of the many drawers of her untidy desk. After a few seconds she finally found what she was looking for, a set of papers. She placed them on top of the occupied furniture moving some of the documents that were already there, this papers in cuestión appeared to be Harukawa’s plan of action or at least part of it.  
  


”Here! I wrote down what I wanted to tell Kaito, what do you think?” The astronaut hold the documents towards the boy who took them. This letter-of-sorts scheme through Momota and Harukawa’s first meeting and the girl’s feelings for the the assassin the very first time they talked, how she decided to believe in him and her ability to take him out of his shell rather than abandoning the boy or staying away because of his cold demeanour. After that the writing talked about how Maki started feeling around him, she mentioned their “friendly hang out” at the fair some weeks ago. Lastly it proclaimed her attraction to the boy and asked him to go in a date with her.

He read the document two more times just to be sure. “I like it” he finally stated “but, wouldn’t it be better to just improvise? You’ve always been better without a script” Ouma recalled when Keebo tried to get her to act for their podcast.

“You think so bro?” _bro, huh?  
_  
”Yes, I do” _Perfect, just act as if you know about what your talking about and not as if the fact that you worked on infidelity cases made you slightly scared of the possibility of that happening to her._

“Fine, then I’ll just talk with my heart that’s all I need!” Maki snatched the paper from Ouma’s hand and crumbled it, throwing it to the trash. Kokichi stared as his friend’s hard work got destroyed in front of his eyes.

With that out of the way Harukawa excused herself and left the dorm, Kokichi closely behind her. They parted ways and Ouma wished her good luck because he had a matter to attend to before going to her private observatory, also known as the ultimate astronaut’s lab. He searched the hallways looking for the familiar checkered scarf that belonged to the person that might just fuck up his friend’s plan.

After a some minutes of unfruitful searching he decided to head over to the place where the meeting was going to we held. The school seemed dead quite, which was weird at seven forty seven at night, but chose to push that thought at the back of his head and continue his journey to the ultimate’s lab.

Thankfully Maki’s lab had to entrances, the front one that led to a cabin used for simulations and the one that was at the back, this one led directly to the observatory. This part of the lab had a glass ceiling ,to be able to see the stars easier Kokichi presumed, and had a small storage room to the side that had mattresses and been bags that they usually when Harukawa made them stay up to watch comets of something like that.

Ouma heard a click near where he was and saw that it belonged to the main door closing, which meant that Maki and Kaito were already here. He noted that the astronaut wasn’t wearing her iconic jacket, instead it was around the assassin’s shoulders, an odd detail since she never gave it to everyone. Not only that but her pigtails were switched for a pair of, pretty big, buns.

The couple chatted while they approached the gigantic telescope but their voices were too low for Kokichi to hear. He stayed hidden behind the wall that covered the passage to the back door and waited for Maki to start her speech, the detective was supposed to turn off the lights (the light switch was behind him, inside the narrow hallway) and open the glass ceiling above them. He already knew this, now it was time to wait.

The boy stared at the teenagers for a while, wondering what they could possibly be talking about, although knowing Harukawa it was probably space related. Suddenly he attention moved onto the door behind him, a small sound coming from it. Before long the door had closed again and there stood the supreme leader, a mischievous grin on his face.

”I didn’t except to see you here Ouma-chan!” The bluenette knew what was happening because he kept the volume of his voice low enough that he was practically whispering. “That’s a lie though, of course you would be here!”

”Saihara-kun, leave. I’m supposed to be here to help Maki.” Kokichi replied, starting to get nervous of what the boy in front of him might do to sabotage his friend.

”Your no fun! If I leave how will I be able to film this?” He pulled out his phone and peaked through the end of wall. The ultimates were too busy chatting to care about their surroundings apparently because neither of them looked at Saihara’s direction.

”Your going to _what_?!” Ouma was dumbfounded, of all the things that the detective expected him to do filming the event wasn’t one of them. Kokichi thought he might have entered through the main door in the middle of Maki’s speech and ruin it by poking fun at her, or stumble out of the closet just when they were entering and invite himself to their hung out. But not this.

”Is my beloved deaf? I’m going to record it, they will thank me at their wedding” As if it were on purpose Maki started her declaration of love just when Shuichi stopped talking, so the liar stuck out his phone from their hiding spot and started recording Harukawa. Unfortunately, the detective didn’t have enough time to stop him and quickly run over to the control panel, turning off the lights.

From the passage, the other duo of ultimates could perfectly hear Harukawa talk ”Remember the first time I took you here? It was that day with the comet, I basically had to drag you out of your room” Maki laughed at the memory “and I tried to make you like this place so you would come and stargaze with me, that’s when I showed you that the ceiling can open up!” That exclamation was Ouma’s cue, he hit the switch and with a soft metallic like noice the glass that was once above their head opened.

”Yes, I remember that. In the end you ended up just stargazing with Kokichi because I declined.” Even in the dark Ouma could make Momota’s frown as he spoke “I was trying to push you away but you wouldn’t go. Thank you, Maki for staying with me.” The girls face was as red as her eyes, they were both standing up at this point mere inched from each other.

”You don’t have to thank me every time, you will end up like my sidekick!” They both laughed

”Aren’t I your sidekick as well?” The assassin questioned her. Ouma found it weird, Kaito never liked being called a sidekick but it seemed as if he had accepted it or even grown to like that ‘nickname’ from Maki.

”Actually I was wondering” she stepped closer to the purple haired boy “if you wanted to be my partner?” she played with her hair as she did so, the small strands that she couldn’t get in her buns, a clear sign of nervousness.

”Partner?” Kaito echoed.

”Tomorrow at launch, meet me by the fountain?” Ouma was debated between whether of not that was a question of if it was a statement, he opted for the former. They were both standing in the middle of the observatory looking at each other’s eyes and time seemed to slow down. The assassin got closer to the astronaut and carefully leaned in, connecting their lips, and the girl was all too welcoming of the gesture, reciprocating it.

Shuichi put his phone down said “we should probably leave before they start fucking” and started heading to the door. Kokichi followed him, cheering for his friends on the inside. The hallways remained quiet albeit the detective didn’t know what time it was, but how long could that take? “Now, that does idiots aren’t here I had a proposition for you Mr. Detective” the taller boy smirked.

”What proposition?” Was he going to ask Kokichi on a date? No, don’t be stupid he wouldn’t do that.

”I want you to come with me tomorrow after school” Ouma’s curiosity peaked and so did his heartbeat. So his crush was asking him to go somewhere with him _alone._ Totally doesn’t sound like a date.

”Where exactly?” What if it’s DICE’s headquarters? That seems to risky, besides why would he take him there?

”That’s a secret~ my beloved, if I told you it would ruin the fun!” Kokichi sighed. Okay, so he was going to agree to go to some mystery place with Shuichi after school tomorrow. What was the worst that could happen? What was the best that coul- he cut that thought before it was completed.

”Sure, I’ll go. Where do you wanna meet up?”  
  


”How about....” he looked around thoughtfully “near the statue of the headmaster!” The stone statue was near the exit of the school, in a small park they had along with a fountain (where some of their classmates sometimes met to play videogames) and a couple of trees and benches.

”Okay, then I’ll see you tomorrow Saihara-kun” he waved and walked down the hall. Ouma's room was on the opposite side of the floor to Shuichi’s so he always took the stairs that would lead him almost at the entrance of his door, rather than the ones that were directly in front of the back door of the observatory.

As he walked to his room he kept questioning Saihara’s request. Where were they going? At one point he wondered if that was the real reason why he went to spy on Maki and Kaito, but that would just be wishful thinking. He got to his dorm and unlocked it, inside he changed to his pijamas and crawled into bed even though he wasn’t very tired. Instead of actually using his bed for its intended purpose Ouma pulled out documents of his most recent case and started investing his time on this investigation.  
  


*

Before he knew it Kokichi was woken up by his alarm. His neck hurt from the uncomfortable position it was in while he slept, the laptop was on his night stand even thought he did not remember putting it there and he remained in a somewhat sitting position. Ouma turned off the alarm and noticed a small note popping from underneath his laptop.

 _’I decided to give you a gift in returned, I’ve worked REALLY hard on it so appreciate it! Also DON’T FALL ASLEEP ON YOUR COMPUTER SILLY!_ ’ The small note was signed by ‘ _your beloved_ ’.

Kokichi smiled at the piece of paper, knowing very well who the writer was. It was odd, but that was how the other boy showed he cared. Although the note was concerning, because how exactly did Saihara get inside his room in the finest place? And when? He doesn’t remember falling asleep, the last time he checked the laptop’s clock it said _2 (_ and something) _am._ His worries were drowned out when he saw the small box on his desk, wrapped in purple wrapping paper and a checkered bow, the signature pattern of the liar.

He stood up and walked towards the present, gently pulling at the strap and opening it. Inside it were two bracelets, both checkered pattern, the boy couldn’t help but smile. Inside if the box was yet another small note.

’ _Wear this when we go out after school! See you at breakfast ;)_ ’ again it was signed by ‘ _your beloved_ ’ and Ouma’s smile only grew. But now a new question appeared in his mind, why did he had to wear this? Don’t get him wrong, he really liked the bracelets it was just odd. The checkered pattern stood out to him, Saihara wanted them to have matching accessories? Why the pattern that DICE used? _Oh. Oh!_

_Am I going to meet DICE? Does he want me to be a member of DICE?! Okay, Kokichi, calm down. Stop overthinking for a second and think this through. He probably won’t ask me to join because I work with the police, even if they are under the government’s protection. But then why? Maybe he just wanted us to have matching accessories. Yeah, that must be it._

He slipped on the bracelets and admired them on his wrists. The appeared to be handmade, reason why Ouma supposed that they were either done by Keebo or they taught Saihara how to make them. Wearing his new accessories he finally left his dorm room and went to the cafeteria to eat breakfast.

The hallway reeked of rice and ikura making his stomach rumble, Amami’s breakfasts always tasted godly. As per usual along with the incredible smell of food Ouma could hear snippets of various conversations coming from the cafeteria. He entered the crowded room and found it strange that Maki didn’t call him as soon as he stepped inside, but soon saw that she wasn’t even there, so he assumed that she left with the assassin since he wasn’t there either.

Not minding the unusual behaviour Kokichi sat at his usual spot next to Harukawa, who was yet to appear.

”Good morning” he said to no one in particular. Momota and Harukawa were invested on their conversation and Miu was staring at her phone laughing softly sometimes. When he didn’t get an answer he starting eating so as to not be late to class because of it.

”oh, good morning.” Iruma looked up from her phone and placed it to her side “sorry I’m talking with Kaede” 

“Isn’t she in that table behind you?” He pointed at where Akamatsu sat, alongside Tojo, Tsumugi and Saihara.

”Yeah but Harukawa-chan and Momota-kun aren’t here and I didn’t want you to be alone with the lovebirds” she picked at her empty plate, hitting the chopsticks at its sides a couple of times.

”Looked like everything turned out all right” he shrugged. When he left with Saihara last night everything seemed alright, more than alright, the plan went flawlessly. Talking about Shuichi, Ouma was still wondering what would happen in the afternoon. It just wouldn’t leave his mind.  
  
”Iruma-chan, come get your girlfriend away from me!” Saihara exclaimed from where he was. Kokichi looked in his direction with a questioning stare, the other was bickering with a flustered Akamatsu while Shirogane was trying to get them to calm down and Tojo just laughed at the site, she was far too familiar with the occurrence to be bothered by it. They were definitely their class’s more chaotic group.  
  


“What happened?” Miu turned around to looked as them as well “and we aren’t dating” she muttered the last part but Ouma was sure that it could be easily heard by the people around her.  
  


“Of course you aren’t!” Shuichi waved at her dismissively “Just go and be lovey-dovey somewhere else”

”Your one to talk you little lying abortion!” Akamatsu scoffed.

”Whatever do you mean whore-chan?” The boy bat his eyelashes innocently, a gesture that Ouma knew you should never trust if it came from the liar.

”You are the one that calls the virgin emo ‘beloved’ all the time” she made a mocking expression. Kokichi couldn’t stop himself from looking away trying to hide his increasingly red face. It’s not like he could deny it though, the bluenette had a tendency of calling the smaller boy nicknames from ‘My beloved Ouma-chan’ to ‘my favourite detective’ they would change from time to time and Kokichi didn’t really mind, he liked them.

”And? At least we keep our sexting private” he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

”What?!” Both Iruma and Ouma asked at the same time. _What is he saying?! Why is this happening to me?!_ Miu kept looking back and forth between the two in disbelief. Saihara just stared back as if he wasn’t aware of what he just said.

”Oh, did my beloved not want me to tell everyone~?” He grinned at the detective who was currently cherry red and wanting the earth to swallow him.

”N-no I want don’t want you to lie about something like that!” Kokichi was basically yelling at this point, and he hoped that for once Saihara would just shut up and stop lying.

Surprisingly to the detective Shuichi did just that. He kept a blank expression for a moment before quickly switching it up, now he looked bored and resumed eating rather than continue with the bickering. Ouma wasn’t sure if the boy was actually ashamed of his actions of just stopped because he could tell how uncomfortable the other was, but he appreciated the silence nonetheless.

After finally finishing his food the plum-haired boy left to wash his plate and head off to class. While he traveled the school’s hallways he felt his phone vibrate and a small _ping_ sound.

’I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable back there, you know it was just a hope!’ Ouma smiled at the message, so he did catch onto his feeling of uneasiness. Another text came in.

’But that a lie! Supreme leaders don’t feel remorse >:)’ he giggled as he continue walking down towards his homeroom. He paused for a minute to reply.

’Thank you Saihara-kun! :D’ he pocketed the phone and entered the classroom.

”Oi, cuckichi!” He heard Kaede call out, she was already sitting at her desk and had been talking with Miu, who was quickly walking away. Ouma noted that Maki and Kaito were back, he made a mental note to talk to them later.

”Yes, Akamatsu-Chan?” He approached her desk hesitantly, the inventor wasn’t someone he was close with so there weren’t many possibilities regarding why she would talk to him.

”It’s not like I’ll bite you jeez, that’s Shithara’s job anyway. But I needed a favor.” Ouma was not about to decline, she had the same forceful energy as Shuichi, where you knew that if you said no things would probably go south besides he didn’t even know what she wanted so he just nodded, choosing to ignore her comment about Saihara.

”Sure. What is it Akamatsu-Chan?”

”She obviously wants your blessing to marry Iruma-Chan” Saihara commented, looking up from his notebook (something that he told Ouma was used to write all of his brilliant plans for heists or possible new members for his ten thousand member organisation).

”Don’t butt in rat! I get your desperate to talk to him but jeez” Shuichi stuck his tongue out in response “okay, so I need to know” she dropped into a low whisper as to avoid everyone else from hearing “What are Miu’s favourite flowers?”

Why are all of the couples getting together now? Why was everyone asking him for stuff? Did he look like a matchmaker? Should he also do something like that? Is that why Saihara asked him to go with him after school? Is it a date?

Kokichi was brought back to reality by Akamatsu snapping her fingers in front of his face “hey, hey. Answer my question, Sherlock homo” 

“Why do people call me that” he muttered.

”Isn’t it easy to guess, and here I thought you were the detective.” Saihara sighed “One, your a detective Sherlock and two, you’re gay.” _Fair point._

 _”_ Talk later sluts. Now answer my question!” Even if was trying to mask it Ouma could perceive she was nervous.

”Right. Her favourite flowers are Orchids, tell me if you need anything else, okay?” He walked to his desk and left his bag.

”Orchids? I didn’t expect that from her, maybe she’s secretly some sort of pervert” Kaede wrote it down in the edge of the front page from her notebook.

”Then your perfect from each other!” This brought upon them the second time in the day were this two people bickered, how could they even do it? Ouma needed to stop this.

”Why is it weird?” He wasn’t aware of the meaning behind flowers, sure he knew the basic like how roses meant love, but nothing further from that.

”Well, one of the meanings of orchids is sexuality” She stared out the window that lead to the hallway.

”I didn’t take you for someone that enjoyed gardening” The detective somehow found it hard to picture the inventor in a garden, taking care of the flowers, but as she sometimes went outside to the gardens of the school with Hoshi he didn’t find it impossible. Maybe that morphed into an interest for plants, flowers in particular.

”Why not? Can’t I enjoy gardening?”  
  
“N-No, no. That’s not what I meant” 

The blonde was about to say something when the door opened and in case their homeroom teacher.

”Good morning class!” She clapped her hands, she seemed especially cheery this morning. “Sit down, I’ve been thinking about this and I have a new activity to do today”

*

With his clothes covered in flour Ouma left his last class of the day. Why was his uniform dirty? He got into a flour fight with Saihara while baking, needless to say the supreme leader won. If winning is having his clothes in a better state that the detective that is.

He had missed Harukawa and Momota during lunch, even if he spent time with Iruma and an annoying Saihara he couldn’t help it. It was routine by this point and Kokichi wasn’t a fun of change, but he could settle for it if it meant his friends could have their date. They appeared to have had a nice time, it’s not like Ouma could blame them for spending time alone after all.

”Didn’t think i would find you here, Ouma-Chan” he snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the fountain. Saihara’s blue hair looked lovely in the afternoon’s golden light, making it resemble his eyes just a little bit. He wore his usual grin and checked scarf, his gaze shifted from Kokichi’s face to his wrists and the smile seemed for sincere for a second. “I’m glad you like them, I made them by my self you know. If you weren’t wearing I would have sent my organisation to kill you!”

Ouma couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, I appreciate it. But I want to know did you do it, or was it Keebo?” The supreme leader’s grin dropped.

”Your so mean Ouma-Chan! I told you I made them myself! D-don’t you b-believe m-me?!” Tears dropped down Saihara’s cheeks. Kokichi rolled his eyes and approached him, brushing away the never ending droplets. Shuichi laughed at the reaction but didn’t push his hand away, instead it seemed like he leaned into the touch.

”So, I can assume you made them then?” The plum-haired boy asked, he wasn’t going to let it go.

Saihara nodded enthusiastically, making Kokichi remove his hand. “Yep! Kibaby taught me, not that I needed that because as a supreme leader I already know.” He bragged.

”Right, of course.” The shorter boy played along “and why is that skill so important?”

”Because, people need to be able to identify who is in my organisation, duh. And what better way than a bracelet?” _What?!_ Ouma panicked. So Saihara **was** planning to recruit him for DICE?  
  
“It isn’t nice to stare Ouma-Chan” Shuichi was trying to hide his concern, he always did when Kokichi spaced out. “What’s on your mind?”  
  
“W-well you just said that you make bracelets for member...of DICE” Aware of Saihara’s confusion (whether it was fake or not he couldn’t tell) the detective raised his wrist to eye level, trying to convey his thoughts.

”Oh...Ouma” it was unlike him to drop the honorifics, something was up. “You thought I was going to ask you to join DICE?” The supreme leader laughed.  
  
“But, what you just said about the bracelets and it’s checkered pattern, like everyone in DICE has” the plum-haired boy tried to explain his reasoning.

”Yeah and? I wanted to be matching with my beloved!” Saihara hugged him and Ouma had to take a step back not to lose his balance. His face heating up at the sudden contact. “Oh~? Is Ouma-chan flustered?” Saihara’s comment wasn’t helping his already red face, which only grew a deeper shade of it.

Kokichi broke the hug stepping away. “S-so, where are we going?” He attempted to change the distract the liar from his reaction, but it was probably futile.

”It’s a surprise! Follow me Ouma-chan, try not to get lost, will ya?” the detective nodded and walked behind him.

Where were they going exactly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve considered turning this into a normal fic, because honestly this isn’t much of an talent swap AU.  
> I feel like it would be the same if you just switched the names, so I’m gonna do that when I get time or energy. :)  
> Or maybe I will be to lazy <\- (this sound more plausible tho)  
> Then again there are like 2 plot reasons for it to be this way.........
> 
> [if you read my rumbling thank you I guess??]
> 
> Have a great day/night~!


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